It is with great excitement that I am writing our end-of-year letter. I hope you are having restful times with your family and loved ones. We are working longer days this month to accommodate a demand for December appointments. This time of the year also marks our office anniversary, Torrey Hills Family Dentistry is 9 years old! Your support is what makes our continued growth possible. I am very grateful to you, for your loyalty and trust. I am pleased to share that our practice is healthy and stable. This growth would not have been possible without my wonderful staff.

Drea has demonstrated this year how indispensable she is to the practice. Her loyalty and genuine care are beyond measure. Her commitment shows not only in the quality of work she delivers but in supporting me in my personal life. Rebecca left the practice earlier this year to pursue a different career endeavor, I wish her great success. Myron joined our practice in the beginning of the year and has risen to the demands of the position with a great attitude and hard work. I am very grateful that he is part of the team. Our loyal hygienist Ellie has been with us for many years now, I feel lucky to have her and entrusting her with your hygiene care. Candice is back! She is working part-time. Her positive energy, strong presence and tremendous knowledge are of most help in keeping our accounts up to date. We also hired Jennifer to help in the accounting department. I am thankful for her experience and how patient she was helping me get more acquainted with accounting.

On a personal level, my family has gone through a tragic event this year. As I have shared with you before, I lost my beloved husband of more than twenty years! I lost my best friend, my life partner and the father of my children. My kids and I sorely miss him everyday. He was a wonderful person, devoted family man, husband, and father. The pain is unimaginable and the whole thing seems surreal at times. Despite the difficulty of the situation, My kids and I are healthy and strong. I am determined to continue on the family legacy of being the best people we can be. This is more important than ever before as the kids are going through the most challenging teenage years. My son Kenan is 17 and is a junior in high school. My daughter Anya is 15 and is a sophomore in high school.

In the midst of darkness though, there was light. I am still overwhelmed and humbled by all the love and support that my most amazing friends, neighbors, people of the community and my patients have shown me. I read every card, and I took every word of support you said to heart. Your genuine care has touched the deepest part of me. Thank you for being there for me, thank you for being patient and understanding when we made adjustments to our schedule, thank you for allowing me to simply be myself and cry at your appointment. This is what life is all about, it can be harsh and challenging, but it is still beautiful, precious and meaningful and it is important to work towards finding light at the end of a difficult journey.

Because I am grateful to you, I am happy to extend our traditional free teeth cleaning offer to our patients who lost either a job or dental insurance. It is important to me that you keep your hygiene appointments regular. I wanted to take this opportunity to renew my commitment to you to delivering the highest quality care and customer service. I love being your dentist and enjoy coming to work everyday. Thank you for being my patient! I appreciate your loyalty and your generous referrals that still allow us to remain the dental practice that does not advertise.

I encourage and welcome any suggestions or requests to help improve our practice. I look forward to many more years of catering to your dental needs.

Last but not least, my staff and I wish you a wonderful holiday season and a healthy, prosperous New Year.